Steph's Song
by Lithium2016
Summary: Songfic. Set to "Sally's Song" redone by Amy Lee for the Nightmare Before Christmas. A tragic event takes place, leaving Steph broken. Ranger is the only one who can save her from herself...but he could be too late. Babe all the way. New Chapter Up!
1. Steph's Song

**Another songfic! This one really shows my depressing side, as well as my love for Amy Lee songs and _Nightmare Before Christmas_! Enjoy!**

** Song: Sally's Song**

** Artist: Amy Lee**

** Album: Nightmare Revisited**

**(It's gonna be Stephanie's POV for the entire story)**

He's in the wind, again. Tears fell from my eyes and hit the bed, leaving stains. He was running again.

The most tragic thing had to happen. My parents, Grandma Mazur, Valerie and the kids, and Albert had been killed in a firebomb attack because of me. I was completely alone now.

Morelli was useless, he was saying "the boys miss you, Cupcake," trying to get me back into his bed.

I glanced at myself in the mirror on my dresser; I looked like hell. My hair was shadowing my face and tears stained my cheeks. Mascara was streaked down from the corners of my eyes, my lips were swollen from me biting them, my face was pale, my body was thin from not eating in days.

Sobs racked my chest as I rocked back and forth in a small ball.

_I sense there's something in the wind._

_That feels like tragedy's at hand._

_And though I'd like to stand by him,_

_Can't shake this feeling that I have._

At the funeral, Morelli was there, Ranger wasn't, Lula, Connie, Tank, Mooner, Diesel, the Merry Men, and some blond girl with Diesel were there. Diesel put his arm around me and hugged me, trying to take Ranger's place.

I was hollow inside. I didn't care anymore. Morelli's kisses meant nothing, Lula's visits were boring as I wasn't talking, Tank and the guys' visits were meaningless... The only one who even had a chance to talk me into health was in the wind.

Ranger.

The only one who can help me save myself.

Other than him, I had no reason for living anymore.

_The worst is just around the bend,_

_And does he notice, my feelings for him?_

_And will he see, how much he means to me?_

_I think it's not to be._

Tank had called him and left message after message telling him to come home, saying that I was talking about suicide. That my life was hell.

I agreed with Tank. I needed him here. He knows I love him; he knows how much he means to me, he knows that he is the only thing that can save me. I just wish he would.

_What will become of my dear friend?_

_Where will his actions lead us then?_

_Although I'd like to join the crowd,_

_And their enthusiastic cloud._

Two weeks later, Lula came in with a box of doughnuts from Tasty Pastry. She came back half an hour later, and every one was still there, untouched.

"White girl, you lookin' scary. You're eyes are all hollow and shit. You look bony," she said. It made no difference to me, even though she was right.

_Try as I may it doesn't last._

_And will we ever,_

_End up together?_

A week after that, Ranger strode into my apartment and found me curled up in a ball on my bed, wearing rumpled clothes, with my body malnourished.

"Babe, what the hell happened to you?" He asked. I didn't answer. "Babe?" He tried again. Still, I ignored him.

I stood from my perch and walked over to my window, he was too late. I put a foot on the window sill and started to step out, prepared to fall to my death.

All I had wanted was to see his face again. One last time.

Ranger roughly grabbed my arms and pulled me back in. "Stephanie, look at me," he commanded. He tilted my face up and stared into my eyes, looking at me with horror. "Babe..."

I smiled at him, just a small one, the corners of my mouth barely tilting up. "I missed you. I love you." It was the first thing I had said in weeks. He hugged me to him.

"Babe."

I pulled away and stepped toward the window.

"And I'm sorry."

And I fell from the window, my eyes never once leaving his face.

_And will we ever, end up together?_

_No I think not._

_It's never to become._

_For I am not the one._

**I cried when I finished this, and I'm sorry if you guys are mad at me. This wasn't what I planned out, but it took root in my head anyway. I'm so sorry, Ranger. I'm sorry, Steph.**

**-Melissa**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. Song belongs to _Nightmare Before Christmas_. I own nothing. And the blond girl is Lizzy Tucker for those of you who have read _Wicked Appetite_.**


	2. Imaginary

**This will be my first story that will have more than one chapter! Yay! The end of the last chapter made me terribly depressed, and I figured, "What the Hell?" and went on and did it.**

**Thank you jenio1 for getting me going! I probably wouldn't have written this if it weren't for you.**

** Song: Imaginary**

** Artist: Evanescence**

** Album: Fallen**

_I linger in the doorway_

_Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name_

_Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me_

_Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story._

(Steph's POV)

_And I fell from the window, my eyes never once leaving his face._

I jolted awake, quickly sitting up. Tears were streaming down my face and I hastily wiped them away. Someone pushed me back down on the bed; it was a smooth mocha-colored arm.

"Babe," he said. "Go back to sleep."

I couldn't believe what was in front of me...

Ranger.

I lunged up and hugged him to me. "Ranger," I murmured. It had been weeks since I had last spoken, and then it was to Morelli to get out. Ranger hugged me back cautiously.

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_(Paper flowers)_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_(Paper flowers)_

"Babe, you were screaming," he told me, brushing back my limp hair, dampened by sweat. What a fucking nightmare. "What were you dreaming?" I hesitated, but then realized that I didn't have to; this was Ranger.

"I dreamed that you appeared in my apartment after my family's death a few weeks later and I said I loved you then I jumped from the window." He looked somewhere between throwing up and passing out. Holy cow, Batman never looked sick.

"Um, Babe, that...that wasn't a dream. It was real."

I just stared at him.

_Don`t say I`m out of touch_

_With this rampant chaos, your reality_

_I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge_

_The nightmare I built my own world to escape._

No way. I knew my family died, I remembered the funeral. I remembered Diesel, and meeting Lizzy, and Lula trying to coax me with Tasty Pastry doughnuts.

But I thought that my suicide was a dream.

"Babe, it was a nightmare."

"How did you stop it?" I asked.

"Hal saw you jump, and he was under your fire escape, just in case you tried to sneak out. He broke your fall enough that you didn't die," he replied. "You had me frozen on the spot. I didn't want to make you move, you'd fall out the window. You were watching me." He pulled me close to him and looked me in the eyes.

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_(Paper flowers)_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_(Paper flowers)_

Ranger wrapped his arms around me as he explained what happen from his side of the story.

"Tank called me one day and told me that your family was killed in a firebombing, and that I should go to you. I ran instead." He looked ashamed. "I was a fucking coward and I should have been there for you." He kissed my forehead gently.

"Tank called me again a few weeks later saying that you looked terrible and I needed to come back and talk some sense into you. He told me that you were talking about killing yourself. I came back as soon as I could."

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_

_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_

_Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_

_The Goddess of Imaginary light._

"Then you scared me by saying _"I missed you. I love you. And I'm sorry." _Then you jumped."

I lie there, listening to the deep sound of Ranger's heart beating next to mine, trying to imagine what it would be like for him if I had died. There would be no one to sleep next to on the cold, lonely nights. There would be no one to save, no heart to make sure is still beating.

The world wouldn't be right if Stephanie Plum died. Ranger would be destroyed, Lula would be mopey, and Morelli...hell, I couldn't really care less.

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_(Paper flowers)_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_(Paper flowers)_

He shook his head slightly, as if to clear the fog. "But you're alive, and you're here in my arms. You're safe."

Yeah, safe in my own little world. Protected by Ranger, protected by his love and his heart.

_Paper flowers_

_Paper flowers_

**Okay, I know it hardly makes sense, but at least Stephanie is alive, right?**

**I wish I could have found a better song for this scene, but I searched through my music five times.**

**Please review for me!**

**-Melissa**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to JE, song belongs to Evanescence!**


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